Piston ring



scribed including a plurality of cylinder wail of my invention is illustrated in magnified form for from which the first named elements derive ment-G therefor, the last named element being in of an oil ring in accordance with the invention. less than .030 inch because of the danger of Patented Aug- 12, 1 941 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PISTON RING Harold P. Phillips, Hastings, Mich, assignor to Hastings Manufacturing Company, Hastings, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application February'25, 1939, Serial No. 258,359

A 4 Claims. (Cl. 309-45) This invention relates to improvements in pis- In the patent to Harold P. Phillips. No.

ton rings. 2,148,997, of February 28, 1939, there is illus- The main objects of this invention are: trated and described a composite'piston ring for First, to provide a composite piston ring for inan internal combustion engine, including a pair ternal combustion engine pistons having im- 5 of thin'cyllnder wall contacting elements prefproved wearing and sealing qualities. erably of ribbon steel, a spacer therefor, and an,

/ Second, to provide a. composite ring of the type inner expanding member or spring for imparting described including a plurality of cylinder wall radial thrust-to the assembly. The present incontacting elements of wear resistant material ventionrelates to improvements in composite and an element carrying and spacing said wall rings or that type, being more particularly concontacting elements and imparting adequate cylcerned in certain of its phases with a ring and inder wall tension thereto. V having provisions whereby the use of an inner Third, to provide a composite oil ring for an expanding ring or spring may bedispensed with if internal combustion engine characterized by its desired, as well as provisions for increasing the high unit wall tension and low total cylinder tension of an oil ring by reason of a novel forwall drag. mation of the oil drainage openings therein.

Fourth, to provide an oil ring of the type de- Referring to the drawing, wherein the assembly contacting elements and a carrier and spacer and with no attempt made to present the exact therefor having novel provisions for increasing relative dimensions, the reference numeral i inthe strength thereof. dicates the cylinder of an internal combustion Fifth, to provide an oil ring for an internal engine, having a piston 2 reciprocable therein, combustion engine piston having provision for which is provided with a plurality of annular draining oil therethrough arranged to equalize ooves O e Of w c s adapted Y the the tension of the ring. oilring assembly 4 of our invention.

Sixth, to provide a composite'bil ring includ- The aforesaid assembly consists of a Pair of ing a plurality of cylinder wall contacting elethin split cylinder wall engaging elements 5 of ments and a carrying and spacer element thereribbon steel and a body or carrier and spacer eletheir cylinder wall tension, in combination with theform of a split ring which is rabbeted or reprovisions whereby the tension of the last named cessed annularly on its sides at I to provide anelement. and accordingly the total unit tension nular shoulders 8, the rabbets or recesses receivof the ring, is increased. ing the cylinder wall engaging elements 5 and Objects relating to details .and economies of the shoulders supporting them radially and the the invention will appear from the description member 5 imparting 'suflicient radial thrust to follow. The invention is definedin the thereto. to obtain the desired high unitwall tenclaims. sion upon which the efliciency of operation of an Preferred embodiments of the invention are oil ring mainly depends. illustrated in the accompanying drawing, where-. The element 6 is preferably of cast iron and in: i 40 is constructed of such size as to expansibly fit Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view illustrating within the groove and support the elements 5 an internal combustionengine piston and cylinwith the desired unit pressure. In view of the der, the former of which is provided with acomfact that oil control in an internal combustion posite oil ring inaecordance with the invention. engine depends e y upon unit cy W Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged fragmentary views pressure, itwill be apparent that the steel wall in section on lines 22 and 3-3, respectively, 7 engaging area of the elements 5 may be material.

of Fig. 1. ly reduced beyond the area corresponding to a Fig. 4 is a view in elevation illustrating the width found, satisfactory and necessary for east ring assembly of theinvention in developed or iron and, moreover, the wall engaging surface is flat form. much harder and therefore more wear resisting. Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in ver- It has been found that cast iron cylinder wall tical section illustrating a modificd embodiment contacting sections are not durable in widths of Fig. 6 is a view in elevation similar to Fig; 4 crumbling and the rapid weal-characterizing the llustrating the composite ring assembly of Fig. 5. same, likewise their susceptibility to breakage.

In comparison to a cast iron wall contacting section of .030 inch in width, steel cylinder wall contacting sectionsof widths of from .024 to .010 inch, and of more than twice the hardness, having tough, hard, wear resisting characteristics, because of the different molecular structure of tempered steel, can be employed. The nature of thereof, which is an important feature in connection with the economy of production of the assembly.

The oil drainage openings 9 are, in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, in the form of slots milled through from the lower edge of the cast iron section 6, being separated by the uniformly spaced partitions l0. These partitions, it will be understood, are recessed or rabbeted at 1 similar to the continuous upper recess to receive the lower element 5. I have found that in hitherto known oil rings, wherein oil drainage or ventilating openings have been machined around a cast iron spacer in nearly even or geometrical circumferential arrangement, the result is that the ring is weakened so faras its radial action is concerned. This weakening, due to removal of metal from the ring, is particularly pronounced adjacent the heel of the ring,i. e., the point 180 from or opposite the gap or split. It is at this point that the leverage exerted on the ring in closing the same to cylinder wall dimensions is greatest, which leverage gradually decreases as the gap is approached. The effect of the resultant non-uniform thrust of the ring attributable to the aforesaid weakening is a nonuniformity of cylinder wall engagement, with the further result that in the frequently occurring event of non-uniformities or waves or irregularities in the cylinder wall an imperfect sealing action is obtained.

In order to eliminate these objections, I eliminate from one to three of the notches or openings 9 in the spacer 5 at the point of greatest stress, namely, 180 from the split or gap ii therein, the area at which the openings are omitted being designated by the numeral l2, see Fig. 4. As a further provision to this end and to make the construction of the ring even more correct from a standpoint of resistance to stress and loading, I contemplate that the oil drainage or ventilating openings 8 shall be of graduated area; namely, immediately adjacent area I2 the size of the openings is a minimum and the area of the individual openings 9 increases gradually to a maximum immediately adjacent the split ll.

Preferably, although it will be apparent that variations in this respect are possible, the notches or openings 9 commence at a point one-half inch on each side of the point exactly 180 from the split I I, the area l2 being therefore of a length'of one inch. In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the variation in size of the openings 9 is effected by a graduating in the vertical dimension thereof, although it is possible to effect this end in Other ways. a v

For example, in Figs. 5 and 6, I illustrate a slightly modified embodiment of my invention, wherein the oil drainage openings I3 are in the form of slots or holes machined in the cast iron spacer element 6 approximately midway between the upper and lower edges thereof. The individual slots l3, as will be evident from an inspection of Fig. 6, increase in area from a minimum M at or adjacent the'midpoint of the developed ring shown there to a maximum adjacent the ends or split ll of the ring, i. e., from a minimum at the point from the split to a maximum at the split. In the embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6,

this variation in size is effected by a graduation of the circumferential lengths of the slots. The result of the aforenoted provision is the same as that referred to and discussed relative to Figs. 1 to a, namely, an equalization in the tension of the spacer 6 and an accompanying corresponding equalization in the tension of the assembly. The unit wall tension is increased by the small area of wall contact of the thin steel elements 5 permitting the desired oil control. to be obtained without excessive wear or sacrifice of durability.

In Fig. 6 I have omitted to show the unperforated area l2 illustrated in Fig. 4 inasmuch as this provision may be utilized or not as desired. It should be understood, however, that in either of the embodiments it is possible to further the strength of the spacer by leaving out the notching at the spacer midpoint.

Further modifications of the inventive principle of my assembly will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the oil drainage openings, whether of uniform size or of graduated sizes might be spaced at graduated distances in order to efiect a preservation of the uniformity of radial thrust of the assembly as a whole. My invention comprehends any such expedient so far as the particular design of any of the elements is concerned, it being understood that I desire to claim broadly the combination of a pair of hard thin wear resistant elements, whereby high unit wall tension is attainable, with a carrier and spacer element therefor having provision for inskilled in the art to embody or adapt my improvements as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A composite oil ring assembly for an internal combustion engine, comprising a pair of thin split cylinder wall contacting elements of ribbon steel disposed in edge contacting relation to a cylinder wall, and a split cast iron carrier and spacer element for said first named elements, said spacer fitting in a groove in the piston and having annular outer recesses on its upper and lower sides providing annular shoulders engageable with said cylinder wjall engaging elements to impart cylinder wall tension thereto, said spacer element having a plurality of oil drainage openengaging elements of relatively hard material adapted to be, disposed with the narrow edge thereof in engaging relation to a cylinder wall,

the inner surface of said last named elements engaging saidshoulders, said body element being out of contactwith the cylinder wall and having I a plurality of radial oil drainage openings therein combustion engine, comprising a pair of thin split cylinder wall contacting elements disposed in edge contacting relation to a cylinder wall, and

a split carrier and spacer element for said first named elements, said spacer fitting in a groove in the piston and having annular outer recesses on its upper and lower sides providing annular shoulders engageable with said cylinder wall engaging elements to impart cylinder walltension thereto, said spacer element having a plurality. of oil drainage openings therein, said openings being graduated increasingly in individual size from points adjacent the midpointof the spacer element to a maximum adjacent the split thereof.

3. A composite piston ring assembly comprising a body elementhaving peripheral annular recesses in the sides thereof extending to the outer face of the body element and providing annular abutment shoulders, and thin split cylinder wall of graduated sizes from the split therein to approximately 180 from the split.

'4. A composite oil ring for an internal combustion engine, comprising a split annular element having upper and lower annular recesses in the sides thereof extending to the outer face of the element and providing annular abutment shoulders, and thin split cylinder wall engaging elements of relatively hard wear resistant material, the inner surface of said last named elements engaging said shoulders and the outer surface engaging the cylinder wall, said first named element being out of contact with the cylinder wall and having a plurality of radial oil drainage openings provided therein in a manner'to gradually increase the resistance of the first named element to bending from a point approximately from the split therein to the split.

' HAROLD P. PHHLIPS.

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